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This sweet, sour, and spicy salad is eaten in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. To serve this salad, garnish your plate with a small piece of cabbage, a large piece of lettuce and a generous amount of basil. Scoop the salad with pieces of cabbage, place a plentiful amount of your papaya salad onto the place, and top off with a basil leaf! Enjoy!
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Sam Neang and Denise Ban are the owners of Simply Khmer. Sam is the head chef and Denise is the resident spring roll expert. (Patricia Alvarado/WGBH)

Both Sam Neang and Denise Ban fled Cambodia as children during the genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge, during which an estimated two million Cambodians died. Both spent years in refugee camps in Thailand before eventually making their way to the United States. They met in Lowell in 1987 when Sam’s mother was hired to plan Denise’s sister’s wedding. They married in 1990.Read More

I am always on the hunt for the authentic yet unique experience while traveling. Who knew that I would discover entirely new adventures while visiting Lowell, Massachusetts, a place I have been so many times before. I had thought of Lowell as home to historic mills and museums, downtown parks and restaurants, and the resting place of Jack Kerouac. This visit I was in for something completely different.

In the food world, there is perhaps no bigger buzz word these days than “sustainability.” And while it might be something that a lot of people are talking about, few are taking the kind of serious action action that local Chef José Duarte is.

At his North End restaurant, Taranta, he has reduced garbage production to 1% by composting, recycling, and buying local. And that is just the start. His own stringent definition of “sustainability” also includes economic goals, social considerations, and a commitment to empowering his customers by using technology to better connect them with their food.

Hear Chef Duarte talk with Callie Crossley on Boston Public Radio. They discuss Peruvian flavoring, the trials and rewards of restaurant ownership and why sustainability means so much to him.

About Neighborhood Kitchens

Building on a 35-year history of producing Latino and multicultural programming, WGBH’s award winning La Plaza team has a new offering — Neighborhood Kitchens, a series about the exploration of culture through food. Every week the show offers a unique window into immigrant communities in New England.

Saturdays at 4pm on WGBH 2
Fridays at 7:30pm on WGBH 44

About the Author

Margarita MartinezMargarita Martinez grew up in the Bronx, NY and Ossining, NY with a Puerto Rican father and a Franco-American mother. She now calls New England home. Margarita has always had an insatiable appetite for travel and food. She made her first empanada as a teenager visiting Argentina, satisfied her sweet tooth with poffertjes and stroopwafels while studying in Holland, engorged herself on Thai street food for a month in Bangkok, and continues to search for authentic international cuisines in the Northeast. Margarita loves to discover new ingredients, flavors, and cooking approaches that she can bring to her own home kitchen.

On the Go

In each episode, host Margarita Martínez visits a different ethnic restaurant and learns three delicious recipes from the chef. She also explores the restaurant’s neighborhood, discovering hidden gems along the way. Join her as she learns about new ingredients, new cultures, and new neighborhoods. ¡Hasta pronto!